Mad-arillo
The Brew Keeper

Poured from a 24 oz bottle into a pint glass. Is a hazy tan-amber color with noticable sediment floating in the beer. The head is a white and bubbly, and deflates unevenly.

Smell at first is fruity and citrusy, very crisp. After sitting a few minutes, however, the caramel malt smell comes through quite strong. Am curious to see how these two disparate tastes come together. As I get further into this beer, it almost has a barleywine smell to it.

This beer has a warm, yet bitter taste. Smells more of caramel than it tastes, but it has a nice malt flavor beneath the hops of this IPA.

Having never had anything from Mad Brewer, I must admit that I was nervous as to how a brewer from North Ridgeville would do. My fears have been allayed by this very drinkable IPA. It has an excellent mouthfeel, smooth at the start, pleasantly bitter at the end.

A 650 mL bomber that I picked up at Vintage Estate in Boardman, OH.

A: The IPA is a sunset orange color, a bright spot on an overcast Labor Day. A sizeable head, nearly 3 fingers, required two pours to fill my tumbler. Before the second pour, thick bands of lace dried on the sides of the glass.

S: The nose is quite fragrant, with sweet onion grass, citrus and herbs. Quite appealing, the sweetness is all-encompassing. Pineapple and mango contribute to the floral body.

T: The fragrance carries on into the body, making my palate very happy. The floral hops are as sweet as in the nose, offering mango, pineapple and plenty of citrus. Caramel malts are a soft base, mainly staying out of the way. The hops, which I need to turn back to, are intoxicating. The sweet flavors, fruits and grasses, sit so nicely that it's hard to believe that this weighs in at almost 8%.

M: The hoppiness is incredible, sweet and bitter with a fruit profile that lingers long after the sip is gone.

D: I bought this on a whim and now I wish that I had more. The hoppiness can't be denied, a citrusy sea of flowers. Well done.

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber into my DFH pint glass. Purchased for $7.99 at Reider's Market in Painesville about 2 months ago. No observed "best by" or "freshness date" found by me on label or the bottle.

A Very generous 4 inch creamy head over a nice glowing orange translucent body which is very typical of the style. Blotchy lacing on the glass as I sipped. In the bottle before I even opened it I observe a serious amount of sediment (the yeasts?) and I like the look that it provides. Looks promising. 4.5

S Nice floral hops that reminds me of some of the better Stone or DFH beers such as 60 min. 4.0

T This beer starts of with a very promising "first" taste of the hops but the body falls a bit flat. I was hoping for a nice malt body (a la Arrogant Bastard) but it was thinner than that and that allowed the aftertaste to simply be the bitter grapefruit hops that I do not particularly enjoy. That being said, anyone excited by hops should at least appreciate this beer that tends toward the better IPAs and American Strong Ales out there. 3.5

M This is a big beer for sure with the grapefruit hops bite, a bit of a kick of alchol (not that well hidden) but that thin backdrop was not to my liking. 3.5

D Fine for the style. I will finish the bomber but will more likely pick up Hop Fusion from the same brewer instead of this one.

A: Dark orange to light brown, decent head with a sticky lace. Caramel.

S: Hops. A bit of licorice. Flowery hops. Alcohol. Mixed well. Gimmie a glass!

M: This reminds me of Lagunitas beverages I've tried. Mouth was sweet and not so bitter, but there is a touch of maple syrup and a hops aftertaste that really sticks around. Hops and malt. A little raisin too.

T: This is one of the bartender's faves. This batch has me a fan. Amarillo hops, that's all you need to know. Named for them. Tastes like them. What the hell do I know? Huge burning hop start. Raisin and slight bitter in the mix with a malty finish. The outside finish is the just right combination of bitter, creamy, hoppy and malt. Whew.

D: Add another one to the pile. Good stuff.

I've only had a couple Mad Brewer ales, and they were marginal at best. An IPA brewed with Amarillo hops? Sounds good to me.

A: Pours a hazy copper color. Nice frothy head that lasts throughout. A little lacing is left with each sip.

S: I smell earthy hops. A little sweetness. The smell is pretty subdued. Not very strong.

T: I get herbal and grassy hops upfront. There is definetly a caramel sweetness. Maybe a touch of honey. Very minimal bitterness. Almost no aftertaste. This beer doesn't explode on your palate like an IPA should.

M: I would say medium bodied. Pretty smooth and easy drinking.

D: To me, this beer tastes more like an American Pale Ale as opposed to an IPA. Not bitter or dry at all. Somewhat thirst quenching.

Overall, I found this brew quite underwhelming. Again, to me, this tasted more like a 5% APA than a strong IPA. This is probably the best Mad Brewer beer I have had though. This is alot better than the Hop Fusion, which tasted like a hoppy apple cider. Ugh. Anyways, check it out if you see it, but don't lose any sleep if you can't find it.

Thanks goes out to beveritt for this brew.

Pours a nice hazy dark golden orange color, nice carbonation, very nice two-finger plus foamy off-white head, with tons of nice sticky lacing left behind. The nose is hoppy, with some nice malts, citrus, and some pines. The taste is hoppy/bitter, sweet/malty, a touch of citrus and pines. Medium body, a nice chewy IPA. Drinkable, my first for this brewery and a very nice one at that, Thanks Bryan.

Appearance: Mad-arillo is a nice looking lighter brown color. It's mostly clear and has a nice orange hue. A very foamy vanilla colored sits atop and reaches about two fingers in depth. It bides its time receding. No rushing off here. Sticky sheets of lace line the glass.

Smell: The nose is obviously crippled by the wealth of caramel malt. It's not difficult to pick that out. There's some nice citrus grapefruit and pineapple scents trying their best, but they're also consumed by the strong caramel malt scent. Hops somehow manage to survive and come off relatively strong. They're citric and piney. The hop and citrus fruit aromas drive it above average, but there's still way too much malt coming through.

Taste: The flavor profile is surprisingly better than I expected. There is quite a bit of a caramel malt flavor here. It's sweet and does interfere with the other flavors, but it doesn't totally negate them. Hops come through and provide a nice bitter flavor. They're piney and citric. Grapefruit and pineapple flavors are noted. Ultimately, it ends up being pretty good. Better than I expected. It could be much better though.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's light bodied to a fault. Feels way too thin. Carbonation is buzzy and hinders it to some degree. Very average in this department. Drinkability is okay, but not quite good. The flavor is not consistent with my preference for the style. It goes down relatively easy, but I'm not pining for more.

Mad-arillo is above average for an American IPA. It's somewhat of a miracle, but it holds together much better than it probably should. The infusion of caramel malts should be scaled back. That would really allow the hop flavor to shine. That's automatic improvement for an American IPA. Despite that flaw, the hop flavor remains relatively strong and bitter. That's quite the accomplishment. It would also really benefit from a thicker body. Overall, it's good. Not great, but good.

"The middle of the road is for yellow lines and dead armadillos."

--Jim Hightower

Tropical sunset orange with a splash of pomegrate juice. What a great hue! The smallish, golden caramel colored crown is full of character. It's also impressively persistent and is beginning to lay down thick sheets of texture-rich lace. Very nice.

The nose doesn't come off quite as well (at first). The beer smells like what it is: a caramel-malted IPA brewed with Amarillo hops. Trouble is, there isn't enough power and pungency for the style. Warming delivers a musky, cheesy earthiness that is right up my aged hop lovin' alley.

First impression: Mad-arillo is an okay IPA that *might* make it from above average to good by the time the bomber is empty. It's a little more tart than I usually like, and not quite as hop-forward. The similarly styled Hop Fusion is the better effort by far.

Actually, there are more alpha acids than originally thought. This is one of those IPAs that is cumulatively hoppy and ends up giving your tongue a surprisingly thorough scrubbing by the halfway point of the bottle. If you're a hophead, it's balanced, bordering on mildly raspy. If you aren't, heed the pissed off armadillo on the label and know what you're getting into.

The flavor profile is made up of toasted grain, Heath bars and a mixture of orange, lemon and pink grapefruit peel. The hint of sourness is still there, but it's been manhandled by a modest amount of malt sugar sweetness and whole lotta hop bitterness. Thanks to alpha acids and alcohol, this little critter is beginning to grow on me. Consider the taste score bumped.

The mouthfeel is a fraction light for the style and the ABV. That said, it is much better in the bottom half of the bomber. It's amazing how much one can tell about carbonation based on the intensity and the quality of the 'pffft' at crown cracking. These bubbles are fairly laid back, yet still supportive.

Mad-arillo India Pale Ale may not be this brewery's best beer, but it's far from roadkill. It's a solid IPA that is delicious and drinkable, especially if you're a huge fan of Amarillo hops. It's also further proof that The Brew Keeper knows his way around a brew kettle.

22oz bottle acquired in trade.

Poured a deeper amberish color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of floral hops, citrus, some caramel, and a little earthy. Tastes of earthiness, toasty, caramel, and citrus. Body on the thinner side and bordering on watery. Medium bitter finish.

Enjoyed on-tap at the brewpub. Hops in aroma with malt. Dark grapefruit colour and lots of lace. Alcohol warming and amarillo hop taste leading to grapefruit, and then thick cream in finish for mouthfeel. Different ideas that can be a great one if tweaked.

Handbottled 12 oz bottle that has a black and white homemade label of Armadillo walkig up right and looking like he's stalking his prey like some kind of monster. It's the type of creature you don't want to meet in a poorly lit back alley. Off to the sides of the label is where they keep the address of the brewery and the Government warning. Just below this creature of the night is where they list the ABV 7.5% and it's also where they keep a brief description about the beer.

Appearance: When poured into a standard American pint glass, this IPA is a clear copper orange color that had a decent 1/2 inch head of white foam. It didn't very long for the head of foam to transform into a small white film and streaks of white lace.

Smell: It had a nice pungent aroma of cadied fruit (not fruit candy), toasted caramel malts, splash of grapefruit and lemon peel, and ended with bitter citrus hops.

Taste: The taste came out strong with toasted caramel malts, slices of grapefruit, pine, and tons of bitter citrus hops. The taste would be considered great if the taste would have stayed in one place. Instead, I could actually feel the taste dwindling down after the minor citrus hop bomb. The hoppy taste went down, down, down, until it hit rock bottom. I should probably say the hops stopped until it hit water.

Mouthfeel: It was a medium bodied beer with a gentle aftertaste of pine and citrus fruits. This aftertaste did not linger on because the water from the taste calmed the hops down.

Drinkability: It was a decent IPA, but it could have been a good IPA if the taste stayed where it was and not have dwindled down to water. It's worth a shot if you can get it fresh at the Brew Keeper.